What Happened to Ballast Tubes? The Strange Glass Resistors That Regulated Early Radio Power
3.3K views · Sep 29, 2026 · People & Blogs
Comments · 25
@HanneleZirath · 1 day ago
I think the title is misleading, should be ‘early rectifiers for radio’ or similar
16
@marmalademarmitemartian · 19 hours ago
This video is about Detectors starting with the galina whisker. Photos are unrelated and about power regulation
7
@iceberg789 · 23 hours ago (edited)
👍interesting content.<br>but please show relevant pics and schematics. random pictures dont help.
8
@jimmyday9536 · 17 hours ago
I LOVE the vintage pictures!
2
@johnsmolley1941 · 18 hours ago
A fascinating exploration of the.early ages of radio.
1
@curtwuollet2912 · 20 hours ago
Yeah, the video was from a completely different script.
4
@bill-2018 · 20 hours ago (edited)
I've yet to see a radio which has one of these in it.<br>When do we get to hear about it? All I hear about so far is about crystals. Woods metal was the alloy to mount crystals.<br>G4GHB.
2
@glyemhouse5590 · 14 hours ago
I was expecting a story about ballast tubes. Instead, I got 45 minutes about how a cat's whisker crystal radio led to transistors. You should change the title accordingly.
1
@carolriley9392 · 14 hours ago
Who remembers the 50a1 ballast tube?
@chucks2018 · 21 hours ago
In the 1959s I made a cat whisker radio using the tip of a safety pin touching a razor blade. I'm not sure if it worked.
1
@ingussilins6330 · 15 hours ago
Iron filament tube is a current stabilisator. Today can use lightbulbs with filament.
@kenbyrd8457 · 18 hours ago
This AI SLOP did not even bother to mention, much less explain, anything about Ballast Tubes. Other photos, like relays, had nothing to do with the script, either.
2
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